Former Greek political leader Giorgos Karatzaferis accused former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of breaking personal agreements during a television broadcast on Tuesday morning.
Speaking on the SKAI channel, the former head of the Popular Orthodox Rally party declared that Samaras lacks honor after recruiting former members of his party into New Democracy.
Karatzaferis recalled an interaction following his departure from government over the Private Sector Involvement debt haircut agreement. He said Samaras asked him to speak well of him to avoid political exposure, promising to reciprocate.
According to Karatzaferis, both politicians had agreed internally not to recruit cadres from each other's parties. He stated that while he kept his word, Samaras broke the pact by keeping key party figures Adonis Georgiadis and Makis Voridis by his side.
LAOS, a right-wing populist party founded by Karatzaferis in 2000, joined a short-lived coalition government during the Greek debt crisis in 2011. Several of its prominent figures, including Georgiadis and Voridis, later joined the center-right New Democracy party under Samaras's leadership and went on to hold major cabinet posts.
Accusations of political spite
Karatzaferis asserted that Samaras had previously used every available contact to bring him into government and questioned why the former prime minister was now attacking LAOS. He claimed that Samaras was acting out of spite and suggested that Samaras would not be making these comments if an European Union commissioner position were available for him.
Describing Samaras as a political consideration, Karatzaferis implied that the former leader's actions were driven by personal interest rather than principle.
Criticism of SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras
Turning his attention to opposition figures, Karatzaferis criticized former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, claiming that political allies had pulled him back from obscurity. While acknowledging that Tsipras remains well known and tested among voters, Karatzaferis questioned whether the public wanted a leader who closed the banks during the financial crisis to return and affect their homes.
Regarding voting figures, Karatzaferis assessed that support for the former SYRIZA leader has reached its peak. He predicted that Tsipras's poll numbers would drop when voters head to the polls.
Tsipras served as prime minister from 2015 to 2019 under the Coalition of the Radical Left, known as SYRIZA. His early tenure was marked by intense bailout negotiations that led to temporary capital controls and bank closures across Greece in July 2015.
Karatzaferis also commented on Maria Karystianou, remarking that she had lost weight abruptly. Karystianou has gained prominent national visibility in Greece as an advocate representing victims' families following the 2023 Tempi train collision.
Praise for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
In contrast to his criticism of past leaders, Karatzaferis offered strong praise for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He described Mitsotakis as the best prime minister Greece has had, specifically pointing to his performance on national defense and foreign policy issues.
Karatzaferis compared the nation's military standing in 2019 against Turkey with its current defense posture. He highlighted that Greece now possesses warships and American aircraft, arguing that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recognized Greek military superiority after Athens established a strategic alliance with Israel.
Mitsotakis assumed office as prime minister in July 2019. Under his administration, Greece expanded military purchasing programs with Western allies and deepened bilateral security agreements across the Eastern Mediterranean.
